About The Forum

DC has long needed a group that brings together government relations professionals in the trade association and corporate worlds. So, in 2010, we made one.
The Forum’s mission is to aid in the development of government relations professionals throughout DC by providing a place for members to meet, network, share, and learn together about best practices and current happenings in relation to their corporate interests.

About The Forum

DC has long needed a group that brings together government relations professionals in the trade association and corporate worlds. So, in 2010, we made one.
The Forum’s mission is to aid in the development of government relations professionals throughout DC by providing a place for members to meet, network, share, and learn together about best practices and current happenings in relation to their corporate interests.

Contact

Annie Russo

Senior Vice President of Government and Political Affairs, ACI-NA

Annie Russo joined ACI-NA in April 2008 and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Government and Political Affairs. She develops and leads ACI-NA’s advocacy strategies on the many pressing legislative challenges facing the industry. She also oversees ACI-NA’s Beyond the Runway Coalition comprised of almost 100 organizations that support airport legislative priorities.

Prior to working at ACI-NA, Russo worked on Capitol Hill where she served as Legislative Director for Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) directing legislative policy and handling the congressman’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Financial Services Committee assignments.

Russo also served as Senior Legislative Assistant to Rep. Steven Rothman (D-N.J.), assisting with his work on the Transportation Subcommittee of Appropriations and working closely with local airports on issues surrounding safety, noise reduction and airspace redesign. Russo spent her first three years on Capitol Hill working for Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.), who represented her hometown of South Deerfield, Mass.

Russo is a graduate of Smith College, with a degree in government and public policy, and also holds a master’s degree in national security studies from the Naval War College. In 2017, Russo was named Top 40 Under 40 by Airport Business Magazine and in 2018, she was named to The Hill’s Top Lobbyist list for trade associations.

John Motley

Principal, Policy Solutions

John Motley is a 45 year veteran of government and public affairs. With a reputation as one of the best legislative strategists and vote counters in Washington, Motley recently left the Food Marketing Institute, where he was Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs. Before FMI, he served in similar positions at the National Retail Federation and NFIB, the nation’s largest small business organization, which he built into one of the most effective lobbying operations in Washington. During his career, Motley was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the 25 most powerful lobbyists and by Roll Call as one of its “Fabulous Fifty.” He made The Hill’s “Rainmaker” list and was selected by Influence as a top trade association lobbyist. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the New York Times and other national newspapers and business magazines. He has appeared on Good Morning America, the Today Show, the MacNeil-Leher News Hour, and on CNN’s Money Line, Politics Today, Crossfire and Late Edition.

Kristin Bodenstedt

VP, Government Relations, Bacardi North America

Kristin Bodenstedt brings over twenty-five years of government-related experience in diverse legislative and private sector roles to her position directing government relations for Bacardi North America. She oversees the Washington office for the largest privately-owned spirits company handling issues before international, federal and state governments. She joined Bacardi in December 2002.

Prior to Bacardi, Ms. Bodenstedt represented corporate, trade association and non-profit clients in positions at the MWW Group, Burson-Marsteller, Arent Fox, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Cato Institute. She employed her federal and state legislative and regulatory experience to craft creative solutions to clients’ issues.

Prior to lobbying, Ms. Bodenstedt served in several legislative governmental positions including as legislative counsel to Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). She advised the Senator on a broad range of business issues including tax, trade, banking, commerce and judiciary issues. Beginning her career in Austin, Texas, Ms. Bodenstedt served as legislative assistant to Texas State Representative David Counts and later to Texas State Representative Keith Oakley. Ms. Bodenstedt also served as the national political budget director for the 1996 Dole/Kemp presidential campaign where she coordinated campaign spending and served as a policy analyst for the campaign.

Ms. Bodenstedt holds a law degree from the University of Texas Law School and a B.A. in government with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the Texas and DC Bar.

Chip Kunde

Vice President of Government Relations, Sysco Corporation, Inc.

Chip Kunde brings over twenty years of experience in diverse legislative and private sector roles to his position leading government relations for Sysco Corporation. In this role, Chip leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive government relations strategy and organizational structure to promote and protect Sysco’s public policy interests at the local, state, federal and international levels. He works closely with subject matter experts from across the business and local commercial leaders to formulate and advance Sysco’s policy agenda. Chip collaborates with Operating Company leaders to build relationships with key government officials and increase awareness of Sysco’s business and economic impact in the communities where the company operates. Chip joined Sysco in April, 2015.

Prior to Sysco, Chip served as Senior Vice President of Government Relations at Darden Restaurants where he led Darden’s global government relations team responsible for setting strategic direction for legislative and political programs, building relationships with key stakeholders, managing a team of government relations professionals and consultants and engaging with senior management.

In addition to his corporate experience, Chip has held leadership position at several national and state trade associations. He served as the Senior Vice President of Legislative and Economic Affairs at the International Dairy Foods Association; Vice President of State Government Affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association; Executive Vice President at the Connecticut Association of Realtors; and Director of State and Municipal Affairs at the National Association of Realtors.

Chip is an active “servant leader” in his community and has served on several non-profit boards, community organizations and charities including Leadership Initiatives, College Summit – National Capital Region, Extraordinary Institute, and Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School’s Advancement Committee and Athletic Boosters.

Chip holds a Master’s of Public Administration (Executive, Legislative & Regulatory Management) from The George Washington University in Washington, DC, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.

Krister Holladay

Director of Government Relations, United Technologies

On August 1, 2012, Krister Holladay joined the United Technologies Corporation as a Director of Government Relations. Previously, Krister served as Director of Government Relations for Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 global supplier of systems and services to aerospace and defense markets.

Krister began working on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant to then-Congressman Newt Gingrich. In 1999, Krister moved to the office of then-Congressman Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) in the House of Representatives to be Deputy Chief of Staff principally responsible for working on military, international, and homeland security issues. When Cong. Chambliss was elected to the United States Senate, Krister served as Chief of Staff from 2003-2007.

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Krister has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University and received a Master of Arts degree in National Security Policy from Georgetown University. Krister is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College.

Elizabeth Maier

Policy Director, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

With 20 successful years working in senior positions in the U.S. Congress behind her, Elizabeth Maier, a familiar and well-trusted policy and political advisor is now focusing her efforts and expertise on advising Brownstein’s clients about numerous legislative and regulatory issues and using her expertise to advance clients’ priorities.

Elizabeth worked more than 10 years as Legislative Director to U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (AZ-R), where she actively pursued the Senator’s many legislative priorities. Elizabeth managed Kyl’s legislative operation, including his work on the Senate Judiciary and Finance committees, and as a result she developed experience working on wide-ranging matters, including, but not limited to, work on trade, health, labor, and some tax bills. Elizabeth worked closely with all Senate Republican leadership and served as the primary legislative liaison between the Senator’s personal office and his Whip operation. Elizabeth is also widely known for her work on immigration and homeland security matters; she worked as Kyl’s chief staffer for numerous years on major immigration overhauls, including the last major immigration effort in 2007 when Senator Kyl, the Senate’s chief Republican negotiator, worked alongside chief Democrat negotiator Senator Ted Kennedy and President George W. Bush to try to pass reform.

Early in her career, Elizabeth worked for U.S. Representative Frank Wolf (VA-R) as a professional staff member on the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. There she developed work/family policy proposals and planned and managed hearings related to tax, health and work/family time management. She also handled issues before the House Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Post Office and Civil Service committees.

Harriet Melvin

Partner, Thorn Run Partners

Harriet James Melvin, a seasoned government and public affairs professional, joined Thorn Run Partners in January 2015. She brings over 20 years of experience providing federal legislative counsel to a diverse group of leading corporations, coalitions and trade associations. Her experience includes representing a wide range of industries and policy issues including retail, telecommunications, intellectual property, transportation, anti-trust, labor, travel and financial services.

With her extensive experience in the public policy arena, Harriet is a results-oriented, legislative advocate with experience working in a bi-partisan manner. She represents clients before Congressional leadership, House and Senate committees, the Administration and federal agencies. Prior to joining Thorn Run, Harriet founded and ran The Capitol Group, a boutique federal government relations shop. Previous to that, she served as a partner for ten years at Quinn Gillespie & Associates, a leading bi-partisan government relations and public affairs firm.

Melvin’s professional experience also extends to public affairs. Her expertise includes “inside the beltway” corporate positioning integrating strategic planning, CEO involvement, key employee advocacy, philanthropic giving and political action committee counsel. Harriet has a skilled understanding of the private sector serving previously as the Director of Federal Government Affairs for Circuit City Stores and CarMax and also as a Legislative Representative for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s largest small business advocacy organization. She began her Washington career on the staff of Rep. Charles Hatcher of Georgia.

Melvin is a graduate of the University of Georgia and serves on the Board of the University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

Ed Pagano

Partner, Akin Gump

Mr. Pagano joined Akin Gump after serving in the Obama administration as Senate Liaison and Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, where he served as the president’s liaison to the Senate. In this role, Mr. Pagano was responsible for managing the Senate Legislative Affairs Office and charged with advancing the president’s legislative agenda and promoting his priorities on Capitol Hill. He coordinated the administration’s legislative strategy on Senate action concerning issues that included patent reform, immigration reform, the Affordable Care Act, the Violence Against Women Act, reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), gun violence prevention and judicial nominations. He was a member of the White House privacy and FISA working groups.

Before joining the White House in 2012, Mr. Pagano worked for nearly two decades with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), both for the senator’s office and for the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Leahy. This included serving as Sen. Leahy’s chief of staff, managing the senator’s offices in Washington and Vermont and overseeing the senator’s work on the Judiciary, Agriculture and Appropriations committees. During that time, Mr. Pagano advised Sen. Leahy on legislation—such as the Leahy- Smith America Invents Act, the first major reform of the patent system in 60 years—and Supreme Court hearings and confirmations, including those of Justice Sotomayor and Justice Kagan.

Prior to becoming Sen. Leahy’s chief of staff, Mr. Pagano served as his senior counsel on the Judiciary Committee, focusing on economic and criminal justice legislation, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the USA PATRIOT Act and the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, as well as antitrust issues and data breach legislation. Mr. Pagano earlier worked as a legislative counsel for Sen. Leahy, monitoring legislative developments and implementing plans on tax and commerce legislation, as well as coordinating economic development outreach in Vermont.

Mr. Pagano began his professional career as an associate at a large law firm before moving on to serve as a field director for the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1992.

Mr. Pagano received his J.D. from Fordham Law School and his B.S. from the University of Vermont, where he played power forward for four years for the Vermont Catamounts basketball team. He remains active at the University of Vermont both as a member of the Board of Trustees and through alumni and student engagement.

Shannon Campagna

Senior Policy Advisor, Alston & Bird LLP

Shannon Campagna has represented some of the most iconic brands in America in her 24 year government affairs career. She has represented Wal-Mart, the Home Depot and Target as a lobbyist for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, served as the head of the DC office for grocery chain Safeway, and in her current role as Director of Federal Government Affairs at Mars, Incorporated she is the lead congressional lobbyist for brands like Snickers ®, M&M’s ®, Pedigree ® and Uncle Ben’s ®. Although there is a little more to it, she does feel very fortunate to wake up every day and advocate for “puppies and chocolate.”

She has worked on a diverse range of legislative issues including healthcare, tax policy, agriculture and farm policy, and some financial services issues thrown in for good measure. Shannon is a graduate of the University of Alabama. She is a member of the Tax Coalition, the Business-Government Relations Council, and member of the board of the Government Relations Leadership Forum.

As much as she loves politics, her favorite job is mom to two daughters, whose diverse passions she encourages and facilitates. She and her husband, real estate entrepreneur Christopher Campagna, and their daughters live in Alexandria, Virginia.

Arielle Elliott

Vice President & General Manager, Bloomberg Government

Arielle Elliott has been at Bloomberg Government since 2010 leading the business development team that serves corporate government affairs professionals, trade associations, law firms, lobbying firms, federal agencies, and Congress. She oversees product development, news and research, and commercial operations. She has over 15 years of experience as a business development executive with experience in media, publishing, and circulation.

Arielle is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. She resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children.

John Gay

John Gay is responsible for the association’s state and federal government affairs departments and its political action committee.

Prior to joining CHPA in March 2012, Gay served as president and CEO of the Natural Products Association, the nation’s largest and oldest association representing retailers and manufacturers of dietary supplements and other natural products.

Gay began his career in the office of former U.S. Senator Mack Mattingly (R-Ga.) and proceeded to a series of increasingly responsible positions with Andersen Worldwide, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the International Franchise Association, and the National Restaurant Association.

Gay is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and earned a Certificate in Organizational Management from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management.

Bryce Harlow

Senior Vice President of Government Relations, CBS Corporation

Bryce Harlow is Senior Vice President of Government Relations for CBS Corporation, a role he has held since 2006. At CBS he lobbies the Congress and Administration on behalf of CBS Corporation and its varied media businesses.

Immediately prior to joining CBS he served as a Director of Government Relations for the National Association of Broadcasters. Preceding that Bryce held roles in the House Republican Cloakroom, Senate Judiciary Committee and in Legislative Affairs at the Federal Trade Commission.

Bryce is a graduate of James Madison University and currently resides in Vienna, Virginia with his wife and their two children.